


Choosing Sides

by Bookdragon123_4



Series: Avenging Watcher [3]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:47:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25758334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bookdragon123_4/pseuds/Bookdragon123_4
Summary: My hands shot up to contain the blast, but not before it had ripped through several apartments.Wanda put her hands to her mouth. “Oh, my…”“Sam…” Steve had a hand to his comm. “We need Fire and Rescue on the south side of the building. We gotta get up there.”I flew up and sent a large stream of water at the flames with one hand while stopping them from spreading with the other. I could still see Wanda on the ground. She was on her knees, staring up at the burning building.
Series: Avenging Watcher [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1865110





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This work will be spanning many fandoms. If you don’t want to read about a particular one, then I suggest you read “Watcher of Worlds” before proceeding to your preferred fandom work. 
> 
> Anything recognizable is the property of Marvel.
> 
> As usual, I only have access to transcripts, so events won’t happen exactly like the films. 
> 
> All recognizable characters are the property of Marvel. This work is non-beta’d, all mistakes are mine. Feel free to tell me about them in the comments, but be respectful. 
> 
> Phasing- Density Shifting  
> Cloaking- Turning Invisible  
> Flashing- teleporting

“All right, what do you see,” Steve asked Wanda, who was sitting across from me at a small cafe, drinking tea.

\-----------------

It had been a year since the Battle of Sokovia.

Steve, Natasha, and I were leading the new team of Avengers. Tony had taken a step back, wanting to spend more time on his company. Clint had retired to take care of his family. Thor was off-world, and Bruce was still MIA.

We’d finally gotten a lead on Brock Rumlow, who’d apparently lived through a helicarrier falling on him and returned to wreak havoc around the world.

The team had tracked him to Lagos, and Steve was using the mission to train our still new group. 

\-----------------

Wanda glanced around from under her ball cap. “Standard beat cops. Small station. Quiet street. It's a good target.”

“There's an ATM on the south corner,” I coached. “Which means?”

“Cameras,” She replied.

“Both cross streets are one-way,” Steve added.

“So, compromised escape routes.”

  
I nodded. “Means our guy doesn't care about being seen. He isn't afraid to make a mess on the way out.”

“You see that Range Rover halfway up the block?” Wanda and I both discreetly looked to where Cap had directed us.

“Yeah, the red one?” Wanda smiled. “It's cute.”

“It's also bulletproof,” Natasha chimed in. “Which means private security, which means more guns, which means more headaches for somebody. Probably us.”

Wanda rolled her eyes. “You guys know I can move things with my mind, right?”

I snorted. “So can I. But I’m still doing this.”

Natasha sounded smug over the comm. “Looking over your shoulder needs to become second nature.”

“Anybody ever tell you two you're a little paranoid?” Falcon, who was on a roof, told Natasha.

“Not to our faces. Why? Did you hear something?”

“Eyes on target, folks,” Steve got the conversation back on track. “This is the best lead we've had on Rumlow in six months. I don't want to lose him.”

Falcon chuckled. “If he sees us coming, that won't be a problem. He kind of hates us.”

“Sam…” Steve called. “See that garbage truck? Tag it.”

I pretended like I was cracking my back as I watched Redwing, Falcon’s drone, tag the aforementioned truck. It looked like it was heading for the police station. 

“That truck's loaded for max weight,” Falcon reported. “And the driver's armed.”

“It's a battering ram.”

I stood up at the revelation right as Steve ordered, “Go now. He's not hitting the police.”

Wanda and Natasha broke cover as we ran after the truck. 

I watched the driver bail out and let the truck crash into the security gates of a building down the street. Then, two armored trucks drove through the open gates. Armed men got out, and they gassed and entered the building.

Flying to pick up Cap, I dropped him into the courtyard, and he started taking down the men. 

“Body armor, AR-15s. I make seven hostiles.”

“I make five,” Falcon chimed in as he arrived on his wings, taking down two men.

Wanda threw another goon, “Sam!” And Falcon hit him in the air, taking him out.

“Four.” Falcon had Redwing scan the building. “Rumlow's on the third floor.”

I kept the other goons occupied as Steve and Wanda got ready. 

“Wanda, just like we practiced.”

She hesitated. “What about the gas?”

“I got it,” I called. Natasha had arrived, leaving me free to rise into the air and create a wind that started funneling out the gas.

Wanda used her powers to launch Steve up, and he crashed through a window, engaging the hostiles inside. 

I finished getting the gas out, then concentrated to condense it into dust, which I packed away into a biohazard bag. 

_ (*Yes, I know that’s not how it really works. Artistic license.*) _

Cap’s voice came over the comm. “Rumlow has a biological weapon.”

“I'm on it,” Natasha called.

I helped Steve down from the building as Natasha went after Rumlow, who was trying to leave with the weapon.

Setting Cap on the ground, I turned to help Natasha just in time to see one of the armored trucks take off.

“Sam. He's in an AFV heading north. I’ll meet you in the sky.” 

I took off, and a few seconds later, Falcon joined me in pursuit of the truck.

“We've got four, they're splitting up,” Sam told the rest of the team as we watched the men get out of the truck and scatter.

“I got the two on the left,” Natasha told us as she raced by on a motorcycle. 

Sam tracked the third while I went after Rumlow with Cap. We found armor laying in the street with civilians already crowding around us. 

“They ditched their gear,” Steve told the rest of the team. “It's a shell game now. One of them has the payload.”

We both looked down as something attached to Steve’s shield. It was a bomb, and he had to throw the shield into the air. I held out both hands and contained the explosion. 

“There you are, you son of a bitch,” Rumlow came from behind us. “I've been waiting for this.” He punched Cap in the face.

Confident Steve could hold off Rumlow for a few minutes, I flew into the air and looked around for Cap’s shield.

I found it and scooped it up. As I was making my way back, Nat came on the comm. “Payload secure.”

I returned to the fight to see Cap about to get his arm cut off. Rumlow’s suit had a blade attachment. 

“Cap!” I threw his shield back to him, and he used it to block a knife slash.

With his shield back, Steve made quick work of Rumlow, throwing the man across the ground before tearing off his helmet.

“Who's your buyer?”

Rumlow smirked. “You know, he knew you. Your pal, your buddy, your Bucky.”

Steve frowned and paused. “What did you say?”

“He remembered you. I was there. He got all weepy about it. Till they put his brain back in a blender. He wanted you to know something. He said to me… Please tell Rogers. "When you gotta go...you gotta go."

Steve just stared at the scarred man. 

“And you're coming with me.” Rumlow opened his jacket to show a vest full of explosives, and the detonator in his hand.

He pressed it, but a red mist encircled him and contained the flames. Wanda was behind us, and she sent the flaming ball up into the air. But, she couldn’t hold the containment field, and the explosion released along the side of an apartment building.

My hands shot up to contain the blast, but not before it had ripped through several apartments.

Wanda put her hands to her mouth. “Oh, my…”

  
“Sam…” Steve had a hand to his comm. “We need Fire and Rescue on the south side of the building. We gotta get up there.”

I flew up and sent a large stream of water at the flames with one hand while stopping them from spreading with the other. I could still see Wanda on the ground. She was on her knees, staring up at the burning building.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All recognizable characters are the property of Marvel. This work is non-beta’d, all mistakes are mine. Feel free to tell me about them in the comments, but be respectful. 
> 
> Phasing- Density Shifting  
> Cloaking- Turning Invisible  
> Flashing- teleporting

“Five years ago, I had a heart attack and dropped right in the middle of my backswing. Turned out it was the best round of my life because, after 13 hours of surgery and a triple bypass, I found something 40 years in the Army had never taught me. Perspective.”

It had been two rough days since the fight in Lagos. Wanda had been secluded in her room for most of them. Tony had been called in, and Secretary of State Thunderbolt Ross had come to the Avengers compound to talk to the team.

“The world owes the Avengers an unpayable debt. You have fought for us, protected us, risked your lives, but while a great many people see you as heroes, there are some who would prefer the word "vigilantes."

“What word would you use, Mr. Secretary?” Natasha’s tone was completely neutral. 

“How about "dangerous"? He replied. “What would you call a group of US-based, enhanced individuals who routinely ignore sovereign borders and inflict their will wherever they choose, and who, frankly, seem unconcerned about what they leave behind?”

The Secretary clicked a remote, and videos and images popped up on the screen behind him. All of the videos ended because the person holding the phone presumably died.

“New York. Washington, D.C. Sokovia. Lagos.”

At Lagos, I noticed that Wanda had to look away.

Steve did too. “Okay. That's enough.”

The Secretary shut off the videos. “For the past four years, you've operated with unlimited power and no supervision. That's an arrangement the governments of the world can no longer tolerate. But I think we have a solution.”

His aid handed him a thick book. It was almost the size of a textbook. He handed it to Wanda.

“The Sokovia Accords. Approved by 117 countries, it states that the Avengers shall no longer be a private organization. Instead, they'll operate under the supervision of a United Nations panel only when and if that panel deems it necessary.”

Steve was frowning. “The Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place. I feel we've done that.”

Ross turned the Captain. “Tell me, Captain, do you know where Thor and Banner are right now?”

Steve didn’t answer.

“If I misplaced a couple of 30 megaton nukes, you can bet there'd be consequences.” Ross started walking around the table. “Compromise. Reassurance. That's how the world works. Believe me, this is the middle ground.”

Rhodey spoke up. “So, there are contingencies.”

Ross didn’t really answer. “Three days from now, the UN meets in Vienna to ratify the Accords. Talk it over.”

“And if we come to a decision you don't like?” Natasha asked.

“Then you retire.”

\-------------------

“...Secretary Ross has a Congressional Medal of Honour, which is one more than you have.” Rhodey was arguing with Sam. 

Secretary Ross had left, and the team immediately dissolved into arguing. Steve, though, was actually trying to read the Accords book. He was about a quarter way through.

“So let's say we agree with this thing. How long is it gonna be before they LoJack us like a bunch of common criminals?”

“117 countries want to sign this.  _ 117 _ , Sam, and you're just like, "No, that's cool. We got it."

Sam glared right back at Rhodey. “How long are you going to play both sides?”

Vision spoke up for the first time. “I have an equation.”

“Oh, this will clear it up.” Sam rolled his eyes. Regardless, he stopped talking and turned towards the android. 

“In the eight years since Mr. Stark announced himself as Iron Man, the number of known enhanced persons has grown exponentially. During the same period, the number of potentially world-ending events has risen at a commensurate rate.”

Steve looked up from the book. “Are you saying it's our fault?”

Vision shook his head. “I'm saying there may be a causality. Our very strength invites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict breeds catastrophe. Oversight… Oversight is not an idea that can be dismissed out of hand.”

I spoke up from my spot by Natasha. “Ah. Causality. That brings up the ‘Chicken and the Egg’ conundrum.”

Everyone turned to me. 

“Did the enhanced individuals and world-ending events happen because of us? Or, did  _ we  _ happen because of  _ them _ ? If you will remember, the original Avengers were brought about by the events of New York, not the other way around.”

The others thought about that for a moment, before Natasha turned to the member of our group that was quieter than usual.

“Tony. You are being uncharacteristically non-hyperverbal.”

“It's because he's already made up his mind,” Steve explained.

Tony sighed and stood up. “Boy, you know me so well. Actually, I'm nursing an electromagnetic headache. That's what's going on, Cap. It's just pain. It's discomfort.” He made his way to the sink and retrieved a mug. “Who's putting coffee grounds in the disposal? Am I running a bed and breakfast for a biker gang?”

Using his phone, Tony threw a photo of a teenage boy up onto a holo-screen. “Oh, that's Charles Spencer, by the way. He's a great kid. Computer engineering degree, 3.6 GPA… had a floor-level gig at Intel planned for the fall. But first, he wanted to put a few miles on his soul before he parked it behind a desk. See the world. Maybe be of service. 

Charlie didn't want to go to Vegas or Fort Lauderdale, which is what I would do. He didn't go to Paris or Amsterdam, which sounds fun. He decided to spend his summer building sustainable housing for the poor. Guess where. Sokovia. He wanted to make a difference, I suppose. 

We won't know because we dropped a building on him while we were kicking ass. There's no decision-making process here. We need to be put in check! Whatever form that takes, I'm game. If we can't accept limitations, if we're boundary-less, we're no better than the bad guys.” Tony paused in front of everyone after his rant. 

Steve sighed. (It seemed to be going around.) “Tony, someone dies on your watch,

you don't give up.”

Tony took a sip of his coffee. “Who said we're giving up?”

“We are if we're not taking responsibility for our actions.” Steve gestured with the Accords book. “This document just shifts the blame.”

Rhodey snorted. “I'm sorry, Steve. That is dangerously arrogant. This is the United Nations we're talking about. It's not the World Security Council, it's not Shield, it's not Hydra-”

Steve cut him off. “No, but it's run by people with agendas, and agendas change.”

“That's  _ good _ . That's why I'm here.” Tony came back and sat down. “When I realized what my weapons were capable of in the wrong hands, I shut it down and stopped manufacturing.”

“Tony,” Steve caught the genius’s eye. “You chose to do that. If we sign this, we surrender our right to choose. What if this panel sends us somewhere we don't think we should go? What if there is somewhere we need to go and they don't let us? We may not be perfect, but the safest hands are still our own.”

“If we don't do this now, it's gonna be done to us later,” Tony insisted. “That's the fact. That won't be pretty.”

“You're saying they'll come for me.” Wanda’s voice was soft. 

“We would protect you.” Vision took her hand. I moved over to sit next to her as well.

“Maybe Tony's right. If we have one hand on the wheel, we can still steer. If we take it off…” 

I turned to Natasha as she spoke and caught her eye. She told me how her vote would go, and I told her how mine would. We nodded at each other, acknowledging our decisions, but still promising help if the other needed it.

“Aren't you the same woman who told the government to kiss her ass a few years ago,” Sam pointed out.

Natasha shrugged. “I'm just reading the terrain. We have made some very public mistakes. We need to win their trust back.”

Tony raised a brow. “Focus up. I'm sorry. Did I just mishear you, or did you agree with me?”

Nat rolled her eyes. “I want to take it back now.”

“No, you can't retract it.” Tony raised his hands. “Thank you. Unprecedented.

Okay. Case closed. I win.”

I looked over at Steve as his phone rang. He read the text, and his face fell. “I have to go.”

\----------------

“And now, I would like to invite Sharon Carter to come up and say a few words.”

It was the next day, and Natasha and I had followed Steve to the funeral of one Peggy Carter.

We watched from the back as Sharon, a former Shield agent, stepped up to the podium.

“Margaret Carter was known to most as a founder of S.H.I.E.L.D… but I just knew her as Aunt Peggy. She had a photograph in her office. Aunt Peggy standing next to JFK. As a kid, that was pretty cool. But it was a lot to live up to. Which is why I never told anyone we were related. I asked her once how she managed to master diplomacy and espionage… in a time when no one wanted to see a woman succeed at either. She said, “compromise where you can. But where you can't, don't. Even if everyone is telling you that something wrong is something right. Even if the whole world is telling you to move, it is your duty to plant yourself like a tree, look them in the eye and say "No, you move."

I closed my eyes for a second, knowing that those words had solidified Steve’s view of the Accords.

After the service, Natasha and I walked up to Steve.

He didn’t look up from his feet as he started talking. “When I came out of the ice, I thought everyone I had known was gone. Then I found out she was alive. I was just lucky to have her.”

“She had you back, too.” Natasha’s voice was soft.

Steve sighed. “Who else signed?”

“Tony, Rhodey, Vision.”

“Clint?”

Nat shrugged. “Says he's retired.”

“Wanda?”

I shook my head. “TBD. “

“And you?” Steve glanced at me. 

“I haven’t signed, not yet. I’m still on the fence.”

Natasha folded her arms. “We're off to Vienna for the signing of the Accords. There's plenty of room on the jet. Just because it's the path of least resistance, doesn't mean it's the wrong path. Staying together is more important than how we stay together.”

“What are we giving up to do it?” Steve finally looked up. “I'm sorry, Nat. I can't sign it.”

“I know.”

He frowned. “Then what are you doing here?”

“I didn't want you to be alone.” She gently pulled him in for a hug. “Come here.”

Once they separated, I hugged him as well. I knew too well how losing close friends felt.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All recognizable characters are the property of Marvel. This work is non-beta’d, all mistakes are mine. Feel free to tell me about them in the comments, but be respectful. 
> 
> Phasing- Density Shifting  
> Cloaking- Turning Invisible  
> Flashing- teleporting

“Excuse me, Ms. Romanoff?”

Natasha and I both turned as an aid approached us.

“Yes?”

“These need your signature.” She held out some documents. 

Nat signed. I was standing in Natasha’s shadow, giving I wasn’t quite ready to sign. I was still invited, though, most likely in the hope that I would fall on their side.

“Thank you.”

“I suppose none of us are used to the spotlight.”

Again, we turned at the sound of a voice. This time, it was Prince T’challa of Wakanda. 

“Oh, well, it's not always so flattering.” Natasha was referring to the last time she’d been the center of political attention.

“You seem to be doing all right so far.” The Prince glanced around the room. “Considering your last trip to Capitol Hill, I wouldn't think you'd be particularly comfortable in this company.”

“Well, I'm not.”

T’challa smiled. “And that alone makes me glad you are here, Ms. Romanoff.”

Nat raised an eyebrow. “Why? You don't approve of all this?”

The young man pursed his lips. “The Accords, yes. The politics, not really. Two people in a room can get more done than a hundred.”

“Unless you need to move a piano.” T’challa’s father, the king, came up behind us. 

“Ms. Romanoff. Ms. Watcher”

We inclined our heads. “King T'Chaka.”

Natasha shook his hand. “Please, allow me to apologize for what happened in Nigeria.”

The older man’s smile was soft. “Thank you. Thank you for agreeing to all of this.” He changed the subject. “I'm sad to hear that Captain Rogers will not be joining us today.”

Natasha nodded neutrally. “Yes, so am I.”

The wasn’t any more time to talk as we were called to take our seats.

“That is the future calling,” T’challa turned to his father, then to us. “Such a pleasure.”

Natasha nodded, then headed to our seats. I followed her silently.

\---------------

“When stolen Wakandan vibranium was used to make a terrible weapon, we in Wakanda were forced to question our legacy. Those men and women killed in Nigeria were part of a goodwill mission from a country too long in the shadows.”

King T’chaka was giving the opening speech.

“We will not, however, let misfortune drive us back. We will fight to improve the world we wish to join. I am grateful to the Avengers for supporting this initiative. Wakanda is proud to extend its hand in peace.”

The King was interrupted as his son shouted, “Everybody get down!”

An explosion rocked the building, and I had only enough time to throw up a shield between the first row of chairs and the windows.

When the dust settled, I spotted T’challa cradling his father’s body. I’d been too late to protect the king. 

\-------------------

As soon as I heard who the cops thought planted the bomb, I tracked down Steve. When I found him, he just gave me a look. It told me that he wouldn’t let Bucky Barnes be taken by the task force that would undoubtedly be sent to retrieve the wayward assassin.

We made our way back to the UN building, where cleanup crews were still at the scene. 

Steve was wearing a ball cap and aviators, which concealed his face enough for him to get around. He pulled out his cell and called Natasha.

Nat started talking even before Steve said hello. “I know how much Barnes

means to you. I really do. Stay home. You'll only make this worse. For all of us. Please.”

Steve raised a brow. “Are you saying you'll arrest me?”

“No.” Natasha’s tone was neutral. “Someone will. If you interfere. That's how it works now.”

“If he's this far gone, Nat,” Steve explained. “I should be the one to bring him in.”

“Why?”

“Because I'm the one least likely to die trying.” Steve hung up. He looked at me and we left the area.

\----------------

“She tell you to stay out of it?” We’d met up with Sam at the same bar Steve was meeting Shanon at for intel on Bucky’s location. “Might have a point.”

Steve sighed. “He'd do it for me.”

“1945, maybe.” Sam was using the same disguise as Steve. “I just want to make sure we consider all our options. The people that shoot at you usually wind up shooting at me.”

Sharron took a seat on the other side of Steve, and Sam and I left to get ready.

\----------------

Sharron’s intel led us to Bucharest, Germany. I did a small scouting mission and confirmed that Bucky was there. He was living in a small apartment in the city.

“Heads up, Cap. German Special Forces, approaching from the south.” Falcon’s voice came over the comm. 

“Understood.” Steve and I were in Bucky’s apartment. I was cloaked as a backup, just in case Bucky was too far gone. 

The man in question came in the door seconds later. He froze as he realized someone else was in his apartment. 

Steve stepped out of the shadows. “Do you know me?”

Bucky eyed him warily but didn’t attack. “You're Steve. I read about you in a museum.”

“They've set the perimeter,” Falcon updated us. 

“I know you're nervous,” Steve kept his hands in clear view. “And you have plenty of reason to be. But you're lying.”

“I wasn't in Vienna. I don't do that anymore.”

“They're entering the building.”

Steve walked closer to Bucky. “Well, the people who think you did are coming here now. And they're not planning on taking you alive.”

Bucky tilted his head. “That's smart. Good strategy.”

“They're on the roof. I'm compromised.” I could hear the sounds of Falcon taking off over the comm.

“This doesn't have to end in a fight, Buck.” Steve pleaded with his old friend.

“It always ends in a fight.” Bucky sighed.

“Five seconds.”

Steve glanced out the window as I readied my batons. “You pulled me from the river. Why?”

Bucky pulled his glove off, revealing his metal hand. “I don't know.”

“Three seconds.”

“Yes, you do,” Steve insisted.

“Breach! Breach! Breach!”

Steve used his shield to knock away a flash grenade as a window was busted open.

Bucky pulled his mattress up to block the view of a sniper, then flung a table to block the door. 

I decloaked as two police burst through the window and started firing. Bucky and Cap dealt with the others that came in after. 

I kept my skills to my batons and regular hand to hand. It wasn’t their fault they were sent to bring Bucky in, no need to kill them.

“Buck, stop!” Steve tried to show that point to Bucky. “You're gonna kill someone.”

The former Winter Soldier slammed Steve to the ground before punching through the floorboards to retrieve a backpack. “I'm not gonna kill anyone.” He threw the pack out the window to land on a nearby roof. 

I followed Bucky as he forced his way out of the apartment door, taking down any of the special forces that got in our way. 

“The suspect has broken containment! ...he's headed down the east stairwell!” I heard one of the men radio as Bucky and I fought our way down the stairs. 

Steve caught up with us a few moments later. He had to catch an officer that Bucky threw over the rails.

“Come on, man.”

Bucky broke the rails and used it to swing several flights down. I flew after him as he ran off a balcony and onto the next roof over. Steve was seconds behind us. 

“Sam, southwest rooftop,” Cap radioed to our back up.

Bucky scooped up his backpack seconds before a figure tacked him. As they stood up, I saw that the figure was a man in a black suit with a helmet that looked like it was styled after a cat. 

Sam came into view above the fight.“Who the hell's the other guy?”

The man started to fight Bucky, and I couldn’t find an opportunity to join in. I could, however, stop the helicopter that was firing at the pair. 

I raised a hand and snapped off all the blades, before gently lowering the chopper to the street. 

When I looked back, Bucky had jumped off the roof and onto a ledge halfway down the building. The man in the catsuit followed, using the claws on his suit to slow his fall.

I grabbed Steve’s hand and quickly flew him to the ground before letting him go to give chase on foot. 

I flew alongside him as we followed the other pair down into the underground streets. 

Glancing back, I saw several police vehicles chasing after us. I kept my eyes ahead, keeping track of the chase.

At one point, Steve jumped on the windshield of a police car, causing the driver to stop. He got off the hood and pulled the driver out, as well as kicking out the windshield, before getting in and driving after Bucky. 

Falcon was thirty seconds behind us.

The man who was also chasing Bucky lept onto Steve’s car and held on to the roof. 

“Sam, I can't shake this guy,” Steve commed.

“Right behind you.” Sam caught up to us and knocked the man off of the car. Unfortunately, the man was able to grab onto Sam’s legs, keeping himself in the chase.

Looking back at the increasing police force, I threw out a hand and stopped the first car in the police caravan behind us, causing a block that stopped their chase. Now, it was only us and the man in the suit going after Bucky.

Bucky, in the meanwhile, had hijacked a motorcycle. 

We chased him for another mile before he threw a few small bombs onto the roof of the tunnel. They exploded, showering large pieces of concrete and debris onto the road. 

I barely made it through in time, and Cap’s car hit a big chunk, which sent it into a roll. Steve got out in time and ran away from the rolling vehicle.

But, Bucky’s advantage didn’t last long as the man in the suit jumped off Sam’s legs and blew out the tire on the motorcycle. 

The pair rolled to the ground, and that let me and Cap catch up to them. It also gave the police time to catch up with all of us. 

Before another fight could start, we were surrounded by cops, who pointed their guns at us. 

Sam landed seconds after, and he, too, was staring down barrels.

War Machine landed in front of us and pointed his repulsors at Steve and Bucky. “Stand down,  _ now _ .”

I glanced at Cap, seeing what he wanted me to do. He nodded and dropped his shield to the ground. I put away my batons in my pocket space. No need for the UN to get their hands on my weapons.

Rhodey lowered his palms as the police rushed in and forced Bucky to the ground. “Congratulations, Cap. You're a criminal.”

I held up my hands as the man in the suit slowly took off his helmet. It revealed that the man was in fact, Prince-now-King T’challa. 

“Your Highness.” Steve and I inclined our heads as we were handcuffed. (Not that it would do much good.) 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All recognizable characters are the property of Marvel. This work is non-beta’d, all mistakes are mine. Feel free to tell me about them in the comments, but be respectful. 
> 
> Phasing- Density Shifting  
> Cloaking- Turning Invisible  
> Flashing- teleporting

“So, you like cats,” Sam asked T’challa.

All four of us were in an armored prisoner transfer truck. Bucky was in a separate one following us. We had a full police escort to the UN Embassy building.

“Sam.” Steve turned to his friend, tone telling him to cool it.

Sam shrugged. “What? Dude shows up dressed like a cat, you don't wanna know more?”

T’challa didn’t respond. 

Steve took a more civil tone. “Your suit... it's vibranium?”

T’challa thought for a second before answering. “The Black Panther has been the protector of Wakanda for generations. A mantle passed from warrior to warrior. And now, because your friend murdered my father, I also wear the mantle of king. So, I ask you as both warrior and king, how long do you think you can keep your friend safe from me?” His tone didn’t change for the whole speech.

Steve didn’t answer.

\----------------

“What's gonna happen to him?” Steve motioned his head towards Bucky who was being taken away in a containment box, locked into a chair.

An important-looking man walked up to us. “The same thing that ought to happen to you. Psychological evaluation and extradition.”

Rhodey introduced us. “This is Everett Ross, Deputy Task Force Commander.”

Steve frowned. “What about a lawyer?”

Everet snorted. “Lawyer. That's funny.” He turned to the men holding Steve and Sam’s things. “See their weapons are placed in lockup.” Everet turned back to us as we were escorted away. “We'll write you a receipt.”

“I better not look out the window and see anybody flying around in that,” Sam threw over his shoulder to the people taking his wings.

\--------------------

“You'll be provided with an office instead of a cell,” Natasha told us as she escorted us into a glass-walled room“Now, do me a favor, stay in it?”

Steve took a seat. “I don't intend on going anywhere.”

My old partner sighed. “For the record, this is what making things worse looks like.”

“He's alive.”

“No.” She shook her head. “Romania was not Accords-sanctioned. Colonel Rhodes is supervising cleanup. Try not to break anything while we fix this.” Natasha left. 

Sam and I also took seats, and I tried to get used to the guard that stood behind me. I’d had one with me ever since the arrest. I guess they found out inhibitor collars didn’t work on me and decided a guard was the next best thing.

I looked at the door as I heard a familiar voice. “Consequences? You bet  there'll be consequences. Obviously you can quote me on that because I just said it. Anything else? Thank you, sir.”

Tony walked in, hanging up his cell phone. 

"Consequences,” Steve questioned

Tony shrugged. “Secretary Ross wants you all prosecuted. I had to give him something.”

Steve stared out through the glass wall. “I'm not getting that shield back, am I?”

“Technically, it's the government's property.” Tony turned to Sam. “Wings, too. Heck, they wanted to try and make Jade give up her weapons, but I told them it was impossible.”

I snorted. “Yeah, why do you think that guy’s in here.” I jabbed a thumb at the guard behind me.

Sam shook his head. “That's cold.”

“Warmer than jail.” Tony walked back out. 

Steve turned to me once the billionaire was gone. “I have to know something.”

I nodded for him to go ahead. 

“Why are you helping us? I know it’s not solely because of the Accords, as you were okay with being under Shield. But, you have never been that interested in finding Bucky.”

I turned my chair to better look Steve in the eye. “You’re right that I don’t know Barnes very well, but I’m helping you because I know that he is an innocent man that has basically been a POW for seventy years. He doesn’t deserve to be killed or locked away.”

Steve didn’t answer, but simply smiled and set a thankful hand on my shoulder.

\----------------

“Hey, you wanna see something cool? I pulled something from Dad's archives.  Felt timely.”

We’d been sitting in the glass office for about an hour before Tony came back. He was carrying a small wooden box.

Stark set it on the table and opened it to reveal two old ink-well pens. “FDR signed the Lend-Lease bill with these in 1941. Provided support to the Allies when they needed it most.”

“Some would say it brought our country closer to war,” Steve pointed out. 

Tony waved a hand. “See? If not for these, you wouldn't be here.” He sighed and took a seat. “I'm trying to... What do you call it? That's an olive branch.”

Steve raised an eyebrow. “Is that what you call it?” He looked around. “Is Pepper here? I didn't see her.”

Tony frowned. “We're kinda...Well, not kinda…”

“Pregnant?” Steve steve offered, almost excitedly.

“No. Definitely not.” Stark’s eyes widened at the thought. “We're taking a break. It's nobody's fault.”

Steve’s face fell. “I'm so sorry, Tony. I didn't know.”

Tony fell into a memory. “A few years ago, I almost lost her, so I trashed all my suits. Then, we had to mop up Hydra… and then Ultron. My fault. And then, and then, and then, I never stopped. Because the truth is I don't wanna stop. I don't wanna lose her. I thought maybe the Accords could split the difference.” He looked back up at Steve.

“In her defense, I'm a handful. Yet, Dad was a pain in the ass, but he and Mom always made it work.” Tony stood up and walked to the glass wall.

Steve thought of his own memories. “I'm glad Howard got married. I only knew him when he was young and single.”

“Oh, really? You two knew each other? He never mentioned that.” Sarcasm was the main tone of Stark’s voice. “Maybe only a thousand times. God, I hated you. I don't mean to make things difficult. I know, because you're a very polite person.”

Steve’s voice was serious. “If I see a situation pointed south… I can't ignore it. Sometimes I wish I could.”

“No, you don't,’ Tony called him out.

“No, I don't.” Steve conceded. 

Tony rolled his eyes. “Sometimes… Sometimes I wanna punch you in your perfect teeth. But I don't wanna see you gone. We need you, Cap.” He gestured to the pens. “So far, nothing's happened that can't be undone, if you guys sign. We can make the last 24 hours legit. Barnes gets transferred to an American psych-center instead of a Wakandan prison.”

Steve stood and took one of the pens. “I'm not saying it's impossible, but there would have to be safeguards.”

Nodding along, Tony waved his hands. “Sure. Once we put out the PR fire, those documents can be amended. I'd file a motion to have you guys and Wanda reinstated…”

Steve’s head jerked up. “Wanda? What about Wanda?”

Tony tried to downplay his words. “She’s fine. She’s confined to the compound, currently. Vision's keeping her company.”

“Oh, God, Tony.” Steve sighed and scrubbed at his face. “ Every time I think you see things the right way…”

“It's 100 acres with a lap pool,” Tony pointed out. “It's got a screening room. There’re worse ways to protect people.”

Steve straightened up and looked Tony dead in the eye. “Protection? Is that how you see this? This is protection? It's internment, Tony.”

“She’s not a US citizen,” Stark’s voice rose a little.

“Oh, come on, Tony.”

“And they don't grant visas to weapons of mass destruction.” Stark turned and pointed at me. “Hell, she barely has a paper trail at all. I’m surprised she hasn’t been picked up for it.”

“She’s a kid!” Steve’s voice rose as well.

Stark turned away. “ Give me a break! I’m doing what has to be done. To stave off something worse.”

“You keep telling yourself that.” Steve set the pen back in its case. “Hate to break up the set.”

Tony sighed, but took up the box and left the room.

\-----------------

“The receipt for your gear.” Sharon Carter was the next person to come in.

Sam took the slip of paper. "Bird costume"? Come on.”

Sharon shrugged. “I didn't write it.” 

She turned to my guard. “Go, I’ll watch her.”

He went, if reluctantly. Sharon turned to Steve, who was looking through the wall at the screen showing the feed from Bucky’s cell.

“I can get you audio.”

Steve turned to Sharon, who pressed a button. A voice started talking.

“I'm not here to judge you. I just want to ask you a few questions. Do you know where you are, James?”

Bucky didn’t say anything.

The psychiatrist sighed. “I can't help you if you don't talk to me, James.”

“My name is Bucky.”

Steve tuned out the audio as Sharon handed him the surveillance photos of Bucky. “Why would the Task Force release this photo to begin with?”

She shrugged. “Get the word out, involve as many eyes as we can?”

He nodded. “Right. It's a good way to flush a guy out of hiding. Set off a bomb, get your picture taken. Get seven billion people looking for the Winter Soldier.”

“You're saying someone framed him to find him?” 

Sam spoke up. “Steve, we looked for the guy for two years and found nothing.”

“We didn't bomb the UN,” Carter replied defensively.

Steve looked over at Falcon. “That turns a lot of heads.”

“Yeah, but that doesn't guarantee that whoever framed him would get him,” Sharon thought out loud. “It guarantees that we would.”

We all turned our attention back to the video and audio coming from Bucky’s cell.

“Tell me, Bucky. You've seen a great deal, haven't you?”

“I don't wanna talk about it.” Bucky was staring straight ahead.

“You fear that if you open your mouth, the horrors might never stop. Don't worry. We only have to talk about one.”

At that, all the lights went out, before the red emergency lights kicked on. 

Sharon, Steve, Sam, and I all looked at each other before Sharon pointed out the door. 

“Sub-level five, East Wing.”

\------------------

We arrived at the proper place to the sight of a downed guard. 

“Help me. Help.”

Steve stormed over to the ‘psychiatrist’ and pulled him to his feet, holding onto the man’s lapels. “Get up. Who are you? What do you want?”

The man smiled. “To see an empire fall.”

Steve dropped him to the ground before we left the room. Sam was through the doorway first and narrowly avoided a metal fist to the face.

He was thrown against the metal container Bucky’s been in and was knocked out. 

The Soldier went after me next. I didn’t want to hurt him, so I didn’t use my powers. That was a mistake as the Soldier quickly overpowered me and knocked my head against the wall. I went unconscious.

\------------

Sam shook me away what felt like seconds later. “The psychiatrist is our guy. Follow me.”

I scrambled to my feet as Sam ran out of the room. We followed the man through the building, and everyone else was in too much of a panic to stop us.

The man ran outside, and Sam and I lost him. He’d gotten rid of his jacket, and probably his glasses too. It would be no use trying to spot him in the running crowd.

Sam and I both looked up when we noticed the sound of a helicopter. We watched as Steve single-handedly kept it from taking off before it crashed back down and took both men with it into the water. 

We rushed to the edge of the river in time to see Cap surface, carrying an unconscious Bucky. I extended a hand and levitated them both to shore.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All recognizable characters are the property of Marvel. This work is non-beta’d, all mistakes are mine. Feel free to tell me about them in the comments, but be respectful. 
> 
> Phasing- Density Shifting  
> Cloaking- Turning Invisible  
> Flashing- teleporting

“Hey, Cap!”

Steve and I walked back to Sam. We’d been watching the sky for any sign that we’d been found. Our small group was hiding in an unused factory a few blocks from the UN building.

I looked at Bucky, who had woken up. His metal arm was trapped in an industrial vice, as a safety precaution.

“Steve.”

The super soldier watched Bucky warily. “Which Bucky am I talking to?”

The Winter Soldier huffed a small laugh. “Your mom's name was Sarah. You used to wear newspapers in your shoes.”

Steve tilted his head. “Can't read that in a museum.”

Sam frowned. “Just like that, we're supposed to be cool?”

I shook my head. “No, you can trust me.” Sam raised a brow. “I’m a mind reader remember. He’s himself, for now.”

Bucky looked up at Steve. “What did I do?”

“Enough.”

He hung his head. “Oh, God, I knew this would happen. Everything HYDRA put inside me is still there. All he had to do was say the goddamn words.”

“Who was he?”

“I don't know.”

“People are dead,” Steve’s tone was harsher than I’d ever heard him speak to Bucky in. “The bombing, the setup...the doctor did all that just to get 10 minutes with you. I need you to do better than "I don't know."

Bucky thought for a second. “He wanted to know about Siberia. Where I was kept. He wanted to know exactly where.”

“Why would he need to know that?”

I frowned hard at his next words. “Because I'm not the only Winter Soldier. There were others.”

“Who were they?” Sam asked.

“Their most elite death squad,” Bucky explained. “More kills than anyone in Hydra history. And that was before the serum.”

“They all turn out like you?” Steve was frowning harder than I was. 

“Worse.”

“The doctor, could he control them?”

Bucky tilted his head. “Enough.”

“Said he wanted to see an empire fall,” Steve mentioned his one encounter with the guy.

Barnes nodded along. “With these guys, he could do it. They speak 30 languages, can hide in plain sight...infiltrate, assassinate, destabilize. They can take a whole country down

in one night, and you'd never see them coming.”

Sam scrubbed at his face. “This would have been a lot easier a week ago.”

“If we call Tony…” Steve started to suggest. 

Sam cut him off. “No, he won't believe us. Even if he did… Who knows if the Accords would let him help.” 

Steve sighed. “We're on our own.”

“Maybe not,” Sam corrected. “I know a guy.” He started outlining a plan.

\------------------

Our little group met Sharon under a bridge. She’d retrieved the guys’ gear. 

I had to chuckle as I landed next to their vehicle. It was supposed to be covert, but Steve had picked a baby blue VW bug. Bucky was in the passenger’s seat, and Sam was squeezed into the back. There was no way I was fitting without much discomfort, so I opted to fly cloaked above them. 

All three of us watched as Steve talked to Sharon before they fell into a kiss. Bucky and Sam didn’t notice, but they both had the same approving smirk on their faces.

Once Steve and Sharon had pulled apart, I extended a hand and levitated the gear into the trunk of our VW. 

\----------------

“Cap.” Clint shook Steve’s hand. 

Wanda came out of the van seconds later. She and Clint had met us at the airport where Steve had arranged for transport. 

Steve smiled at the archer, who’d come out of retirement to help. “You know I wouldn't have called if I had any other choice.”

Clint shrugged. “Hey, man, you're doing me a favor. Besides, I owe a debt. Thanks for having my back.”

Steve looked at Wanda and raised a brow. 

Wanda smiled. “It was time to get off my ass.”

“How about our other recruit?”

Clint pulled back the sliding door. “He's rarin' to go. Had to put a little coffee in him...  but he should be good.”

The guy was sleeping but jerked awake at the door. He blinked at the sun. “What time zone is this?”

The guy climbed out of the van, and he grinned in awe as he spotted Steve. “Captain America!”

“Mr. Lang.” Steve extended his hand. 

Lang took it and shook it hard. “It's an honor.” He glanced down at his still-moving hand. “I'm shaking your hand too long.” He stopped, looking around at the rest of the team. “Wow! This is awesome! Captain America.” Lang pointed at Wanda. “I know you, too. You're great!”

“Jeez.” Sam rolled his eyes behind me.

“Ah, look, I wanna say, I know you know a lot of super people, so… thanks for thinking of me.” Lang glanced over at Sam. “Hey, man!”

“What's up, Tic Tac?” Apparently they knew each other. 

Lang rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh, good to see you. Look, what happened last time when I…”

Sam cut him off. “It was a great audition, but it'll never happen again.”

Steve brought the conversation back on topic. “They tell you what we're up against?”

Lang shrugged. “Something about some psycho-assassins?”

Cap nodded. “We're outside the law on this one. So if you come with us, you're a wanted man.”

“Yeah, well, what else is new?”

“We should get moving,” Clint said. “We got a chopper lined up.”

All of us paused as the PA speakers announced something in German.

“They're evacuating the airport,” Bucky translated. 

“Stark,” Sam added.

Lang frowned. “Stark?”

Steve nodded. “Suit up.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All recognizable characters are the property of Marvel. This work is non-beta’d, all mistakes are mine. Feel free to tell me about them in the comments, but be respectful. 
> 
> Phasing- Density Shifting  
> Cloaking- Turning Invisible  
> Flashing- teleporting

Once we were all suited up, Steve and I made our way out towards the helicopter. I was cloaked. But, we had to pull up short as a small device landed on the chopper and disabled it.

I looked up as Stark and Rhodey landed in front of us. Their faceplates pulled up. 

Tony looked over at Rhodey. “Wow, it's so weird how you run into people at the airport. Don't you think that's weird?”

“Definitely weird.”

Steve sighed. “Hear me out, Tony. That doctor, the psychiatrist, he's behind all of this.”

I looked over as the Black Panther landed beside Tony. 

“Captain.”

“Your Highness,” Steve replied.

“Anyway…” Tony brought the conversation back. “Ross gave me 36 hours to bring you in. That was 24 hours ago. Can you help a brother out?”

“You're after the wrong guy,” Steve shook his head.

“Your judgment is askew.” Tony’s voice hardened. “Your old war buddy killed innocent people yesterday.”

“And there are five more super soldiers just like him,” Steve threw back. “I can't let the doctor find them first, Tony. I can't.”

“Steve…” Natasha appeared. “You know what's about to happen. Do you really wanna punch your way out of this one?”

Steve didn’t have time to reply as Tony sighed. “All right, I've run out of patience. Underoos!”

A figure jumped over Steve and used some sort of webbing to steal his shield. The person also webbed Steve’s hands together.

The figure landed on a truck, holding Steve’s shield. It was a kid in a red and blue costume with a spider motif on the front.

“Nice job, kid,” Tony told him.

“Thanks.” I raised an eyebrow when I heard the kid’s voice. He sounded like a late teen at the oldest. “I could have stuck the landing a little better, it's just… New suit. It's nothing, Mr. Stark. It's perfect. Thank you.”

Tony shook his head. “Yeah, we don't really need to start a conversation.”

The kid didn’t listen, turning to Steve. “Okay. Cap. Captain. Big fan. I'm Spider-Man.”

“Yeah, we'll talk about it later.” Stark rolled his eyes.

“Hey, everyone.” The kid waved. 

“Good job.” 

Steve nodded his head at the kid. “You've been busy.”

“And you've been a complete idiot,” Tony spat back. “Dragging in Clint… "Rescuing" Wanda from a place she didn't even want to leave, a safe place. I'm trying to keep…” He took a breath. “ I'm trying to keep you from tearing the Avengers apart.”

“You did that when you signed,” Steve retorted.

Tony shook his head. “All right, we're done. You're gonna turn Barnes over, you're gonna come with us, now, because it's us, or a squad of J-SOC guys with no compunction about being impolite. Come on.”

“We found it,” Falcon’s voice came over our comm. “Their Quinjet's in hangar five, north runway.”

I uncloaked and cut the webbing holding his hands. 

Steve called out. “All right, Lang.”

The kid reared back as something moved on the shield he was holding. “Hey, guys, something…”

Scott enlarged and took the shield back. He handed it to Steve. “I believe this is yours, Captain America.”

“Oh, great.” Tony turned around, scanning for the rest of our team. “All right, there's two on the parking deck. One is Maximoff, I'm gonna grab her. Rhodey, you wanna take Cap and Jade?”

“Got two in the terminal, Wilson, and Barnes,” Rhodey reported. 

“Barnes is mine.” T’challa took off. 

Rhodey started to fly after him, but Steve threw his shield at War Machine before going after T’challa.

“Move, Captain.” The king told the Captain. “I won't ask a second time.”

I took care of T’challa by raising a hand and holding the Panther off the ground. It only worked for a short minute, as Rhodey’s suit sent a few missiles at me. I had to dodge, and I lost my grip on the king. 

I took off into the air and engaged War Machine as Cap took over with T’challa. 

I kept my attacks against Rhodey limited to my nonlethal elements and my batons. I didn’t really want to actually hurt him, just keep him from following us. 

I broke off from Rhodey to protect Clint and Wanda from an explosion caused by Tony. 

“Wanda, I think you hurt Vision's feelings,” Tony quipped. 

“You locked me in my room,” Wanda retorted. 

“Okay, first, that's an exaggeration.” Tony hovered int he air. “Second, I did it to protect you.” He looked over at the archer standing next to me. “Hey, Clint.”

“Hey, man.”

“Clearly, retirement doesn't suit you. You got tired of shooting golf?”

Clint shrugged. “Well, I played 18, shot 18. Just can't seem to miss.” He shot an arrow at Tony which went wide.

“First time for everything,” Tony pointed out.

“Made you look,” Clint shot back. 

Tony turned around as Wanda and I started pulling cars out of the garage to fall on Tony.

He tried to blast them out of the air, but we overwhelmed him and he was buried. That let Clint, Wanda, and I join back up with Steve and the others. 

“There's our ride.” Sam pointed to the hangar that held the quinjet. 

“Come on!” 

We all fell into line as we ran for the hangar. 

Vision used his stone to burn a line through the concrete in front of us, and we stopped. 

“Captain Rogers…” He called out. “I know you believe what you're doing is right. But for the collective good, you must surrender now.” The rest of his team lined up under him.

We faced off, each of us only a couple dozen yards away from each other side.

“What do we do, Cap,” Sam asked.

“We fight.” Steve started to jog forward. We followed him and stayed in line as we ran.

Tony’s team started running as well to meet us. 

We clashed in the middle, and everyone paired off to fight. I was the odd one out, so I tried to keep both sides from hurting each other too badly.

I stooped some of Stark’s rockets from hitting Clint, and some of Clint’s arrows from hitting Natasha.

I extended a hand and held some of the weight of a storage container that Steve had dropped on the kid. “Come on, Steve. He’s a kid.”

Cap sent me an apologetic look before running off. 

Once I was sure the kid could get out, I left him and took off to help Falcon with Rhodey and Stark. 

I could only deal with one at a time though, so Tony was still after Falcon.

“Clint, can you get him off me?”

Clint shot an arrow at Tony, which blew up and distracted Stark. It let Scott, in his shrunken form, get into Tony’s suit. 

The suit started to spark and malfunction. 

I got War Machine away from Falcon, so I landed to help Clint with T’challa. 

“We gotta go,” Steve called over the comm. “That guy's probably in Siberia by now. We gotta draw out the flyers. I'll take Vision, Falcon and Jade can take the suits, you guys get to the jet.”

“No, you get to the jet!” Sam yelled over the comm. “Both of you! The rest of us aren't getting out of here.” He sighed. “As much as I hate to admit it...if we're gonna win this one, some of us might have to lose it. This isn't the real fight, Steve.”

Steve sounded resigned. “All right, Sam. What's the play?”

“We need a diversion. Something big.”

Scott came on the line. “I got something kinda big. But I can't hold it very long. On my signal, run like hell. And if I tear myself in half… don't come back for me.”

I raised a brow at the wording but trusted our Ant-man

“You sure about this, Scott,” Steve asked.

“I do it all the time. I mean, once. In a lab.” Scott sounded like he was running. “Then I passed out.” He started muttering to himself. “I'm the boss, I'm the boss, I'm the boss.”

Scott grew into a giant. He was at least five stories tall.

Rhodey fired on Scott, but Scott just grabbed Rhodey out of the sky.

“Way to go, Tic Tac,” Sam yelled as he and I kept Vision and Tony off Scott’s back. 

On the ground, Steve and Bucky were running full-tilt towards the quinjet.

Black Panther tried to go after them, but Scott blocked his way. “You wanna get to them… you gotta go through me.”

Falcon and I kept Tony busy as Scott fought, but Vision slip past me, and the android phased through Scott.

Scott was very alarmed. “Something just flew in me!”

I went around Scott just in time to fling out my hands to stop the tower Vision had felled from falling on Steve and Bucky. 

Wanda’s red mist grew to help me hold the large tower. 

But, the tower collapsed to the ground as War Machine sent a sonic blast at us. I had to clamp my hands over my sensitive ears. Wanda and I were stunned. 

Vision caught Wanda before she hit the ground. I wasn’t so lucky, but it didn’t really matter. I was too out of it to notice.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All recognizable characters are the property of Marvel. This work is non-beta’d, all mistakes are mine. Feel free to tell me about them in the comments, but be respectful. 
> 
> Phasing- Density Shifting  
> Cloaking- Turning Invisible  
> Flashing- teleporting

I was just regaining my senses, though I still couldn’t hear very well when Special Forces agents started rounding up Cap’s team. I opened my eyes to see Clint, Scott, and Sam getting cuffed, their weapons and suits gone. 

Wanda was being put in a straight jacket and an inhibitor collar. 

I shot up, and I was about to fight the agents holding Wanda when the lead man pointed a gun at Sam’s head. 

“Stand down. I know what you are capable of, but if I even think you’re about to do something, I will not hesitate.”

I growled, but raised my hands and didn’t fight as agents came up to, I thought, cuff me.

Instead, the first agent to get to me stabbed a needle in my neck. 

I heard my team call out as I lost control of my body. I could still tell what was going on, but I couldn’t move or use my telepathy. 

I watched as the agents loaded me onto a stretcher and placed me with my teammates in a prisoner transport plane. 

\---------------------

We were all brought to a prison that was in the middle of the ocean. Each of us got a separate cell, but they had glass front walls, so we could still see each other. 

Well, everyone else could see each other. I was still drugged, and strapped down to the bed, staring at the white ceiling. They’d given me an IV drip to keep the drugs in my system.

The guards let me up to use the restroom once, but kept a gun to Clint’s head to ‘keep me in line.’ 

I saw Wanda during a meal. She was still in the straight jacket and collar. She was staring at the wall of her cell, not moving or speaking. I thought that the guards were shocking her through her collar if she moved too much.

\------------------------

Stark came to see us a day after we’d been imprisoned. I was still on the bed, so only knew Stark was there because Clint started to slow clap. 

“The Futurist, gentlemen! The Futurist is here! He sees all! He knows what's best for you, whether you like it or not.”

Stark sighed. “Give me a break, Barton. I had no idea they'd put you here. Come on.”

“Yeah, well, you knew they'd put us somewhere, Tony,” Sam’s voice was accusing.

“Yeah, but not some super-max floating ocean pokey. This place is for maniacs.  This is a place for…” Stark trailed off.

“Criminals,” Clint filled in. “Criminals, Tony. Think that's the word you're looking for. Right? That didn't use to mean me. Or Jade, or Wanda. But here we are.”

“Because you broke the law,” Stark pointed out. “I didn't make you. You read it, you broke it. You're all grown up, you got a wife and kids. I don't understand, why didn't you think about them before you chose the wrong side?”

“You gotta watch your back with this guy. There's a chance he's gonna break it,” Sam called as he slammed a palm on the glass.

Scott chimed in. “Hank Pym always said you never can trust a Stark.”

“Who are you?” Stark didn’t recognize Scott without the suit.

“How's Rhodes?” Clint’s voice had calmed a little. “ I’d overheard him telling the others about Rodey’s accident.

“They're flying him to Columbia Medical tomorrow,” Stark replied. “So fingers crossed.” He changed the subject. “What do you need? They feed you yet?”

“You're the good cop, now?” Sam snorted.

“I'm just the guy who needs to know where Steve went,” Stark corrected.

“Well, you better go get a bad cop,” Sam replied. “Because you're gonna have to go Mark Fuhrman on my ass to get information out of me.”

I heard Stark type something on something. “Well, I just knocked the A out of their AV. We got about 30 seconds before they realize it's not their equipment.” He sighed. “Just look. Because that…” I assumed there was a picture. “Is the fellow who was supposed to interrogate Barnes. Clearly, I made a mistake.” 

I think Sam still wasn’t convinced as Stark sighed again. “Sam, I was wrong. That's a first. Cap is definitely off the reservation, but he's about to need all the help he can get. We don't know each other very well. You don't have to…”

Sam cut him off, finally caving in. “Hey, it's all right. Look, I'll tell you… but you have to go alone and as a friend.”

“Easy.”

Sam told Stark, who left right after. 

\------------------

A full week went by after that. I was getting really bored just laying there, but I managed by planning for what as to come. 

On the eighth day, I started to head the sounds of fighting coming from outside the cell block. 

The lights went out before I heard a familiar voice. 

“Sorry, I’m late.”

It was Steve. I heard the sound of the glass doors opening before Sam appeared above me.

“Alright, let’s get you up.” He pulled out my IV and undid my restraints. After a minute, I could move again.

Sam had to help me stand, but I made it out of my cell. Clint was helping Wanda out of her’s.

Steve looked at all of us. “Ready to go?” He led us past unconscious guards, to a special jet. We all boarded and Steve took the helm, piloting us up and off the prison base. 

  
  
  
  



End file.
